Best Cabin Camping near Catawba, VA

Cabins are small but we made it work for our family of 7. We had a blast it was the weekend prior Labor Day we fished saw old friends in Virginia and had a wonderful time. The stuff was amazing

We went off season in March of 2018. It was the perfect time to go as it was still "wintery", but had days of mild weather to allow for hiking. The lake is huge and allows for boating and fishing. There's a beach that you can swim from. They have several cabins that are well maintained and clean. We stayed in a cabin. But, we also checked out the tent camping pads. I would not recommend for camping with a tent as the sites are stacked on top of each other offering little to no privacy. The RV/camper sites might be better. I can't say for sure as I don't rv camp. The cabins were phenomenal. They offer a clean and basic setup with a wood stove. The exterior has a porch/deck, grill, firepit, and picnic table. Some of the cabins backup to the lake. The cabins are spread so that their is ample space between them offering privacy. Beautifully maintained, the park was pristine. The visitor center is large and offers education, camp store, literature. I am going back!

Love this park. I stayed in cabin #4 twice in the last year and had a great time! The park offers several activities: hiking, biking, fishing, wildlife viewing, boating (if you bring your own boat), stargazing (the park has been recognized as International Dark sky and there are two telescopes that can be checked out for free at the visitor’s center). The staff is very polite and the gift shop is great! While staying there I saw a skunk, a groundhog, several deer and a great variety of birds. We enjoyed gorgeous sunsets from a little beach area near the cabins. The cabins are rustic (they date back to 1936) but very cozy and clean.

We’ve been here twice. Once for our anniversary and we stayed in one of the cabins with our dog, and once tent camping. The cabin was reasonably priced and comfortable. They are all grouped together and could be fun for a family reunion or some larger gathering with friends. The tent camping experience was with our kids, and it was a little hard to keep them entertained. The hiking trails were a short distraction, but not long or difficult enough to wear them out.

We stayed 3 nights in cabin here, everything was very well maintained and very clean. The staff were very helpful and clearly had great pride in the facility.

We rented a cabin with fantastic sunset views.  This park has great walking and equine trails, a fantastic visitor center, and a wonderful outdoor park/adventure zone for the kiddos.

We have stayed here a couple of times and our family loves it! We have stayed in the cabins here and they are awesome. We stayed in the 2 bedroom cabin. It has a beautiful deck with a picnic table and rocking chairs. The park is part of the Dark Sky Parks Association and if you are into astronomy and stars this is the place to stay. They have miles of trails, a playground, marshland, and it is right on the James River with multiple river access points. The rangers here are very interactive and very helpful. We enjoyed a fire making class followed by s'mores on Friday night and then an owl searching hike on Saturday night. We hiked many miles while here and had a great weekend. I highly recommend this park and can't wait to stay here again.

Tucked away in the lush, verdant forests north of Raleigh, here at Bullocksville Park, you’ll discover camping and cabin grounds that are just a short hike from the nearby Lake Kerr, but far enough away from any roadside noisy traffic. 

This is a complete natural respite that is incredibly quiet(save the roar of noise from nature!). The grounds themselves are laid out superbly, from 3-4 independent campground sites(in fact, some are across the road from whence you arrived) with blended options for both RV’s and real campers who use tents. 

There are a number of amenities and diversions, such as boat ramps for motored-boats, kayaking, canoeing, as well as playgrounds for the kiddos, a big gathering hall that can be rented, several picnic areas and shelters along with countless hiking trails. For anyone visiting North Carolina or for nearby residents who just want to get away from the concrete jungle, then Bullocksville Park is definitely worth a look. 

I will end on this point - I have not come across any such amazing camping gem in all of North Carolina than this splendid campground at Bullocksville.  You'll be lucky (and hopefully very grateful) for getting a piece of land here in front of this gorgeous lake if you book well in advance.

Happy Camping!

We stayed in Cabin #3 and it was perfect. It’s a 3BR/2BA spacious cabin, wooded and lakeside. Great sunsets and nice big deck (some areas of the porch are covered, and have rocking chairs). Kitchen is equipped with microwave, toaster, coffee pot, water glasses, coffee mugs, plates, bowls, utensils, can opener, etc. If you have the space to pack them, I recommend bringing a couple of your own pots and pans; limited options there. Bring your own dish towels, dish rags, linens (including pillowcase if you don’t have room to pack your own pillow), towels/wash rags, etc. We loved the coziness of this cabin without the cramped feeling. High ceilings, open floor plan, and fireplace were lovely. The bundle of complimentary wood was very nice. 🪵🔥

Next time we tent camp we will definitely stay in Campground C where the sites are RIGHT on the water. Check out spaces 25-31, my personal faves. Since with these sites you’re kind of out in the open, I wouldn’t book these in the heat of the summer. The wooded sites in Campground B looked really nice and well-spaced. It was closed about halfway in, so we couldn’t see all of the sites. It looks like some of them might be wooded with water views. Would be nice and shady🌲

We hiked the Plantation Trail, a large historical site that was once a homestead. Mellow, family-friendly walk with a cemetery, historical markers, and an old chimney. Lots of old growth - from the gigantic boxwoods (hundreds of years old) to the wild daffodils growing in the woods. 🌼🌳

On our last day, we paddled around Bugg’s Lake. Used the boat launch near the office - nice place to put in. The whole trip we saw lots of birds, squirrels, deer, and raccoons. Occoneechee is a spacious park with lots of day-use facilities. Would be a great place for socially distant outdoor gatherings 💚. Lots more trails to visit when we come back! 🛶🥾

Oh, and the campground has a few yurts that have excellent “backyard” wooded views! There’s also a good bit of space between them. Lots of porch space, too. 🛖

The Red Oak sites were gravel and fairly level and the bathhouse was nice. There is an equestrian camping area (and stalls) for people with horses.  The cabins and lodges have 2, 3, and 6 bedrooms and look beautiful. There is even a canoe-in campground.  Activities that can be done include tubing on the river, canoeing and kayaking, fishing, hiking, biking, horseback riding trails, wagon ride, and lots of park events.

This is a wonderful spot for viewing the stars because of the lack of light pollution. James River State Park has been named an International Dark Sky Park.

We stayed in 2020, first time at this campground and will definitely stay again. Very close to the Blue Ridge Parkway, plenty of places to hike, and Natural Bridge is a must see. Plenty to do at the campground - corn hole, pool, playground, etc. We stayed in a pull-thru full-hookup site, they also have tent sites and cabins. The campsites are close together, but a nice place; staff are very nice. We have a toy-hauler and this is a great place to bring your motorcycles if you want to enjoy a great ride with beautiful scenery!

I've been to JRSP several times now and each visit gets better.  Camping on the River edge is very peaceful and convenient if you just want to drop your own tube in and float.  This site isn't very wooded and therefore not much visual privacy but there is lots of space to spread out.  The sites are generously sized and flat.  A few negatives:

1. There is a bit of a walk from your vehicle but it's not bad.

2. The bathroom is just a potty with hand sanitizer, no running water.  

I also stayed in a 2 bdr cabin on a return trip which was very nice.  I was impressed with the accommodations and the A/C which was enjoyed on our hot August nights.  The best part of both trips was the River.  Absolutely clean, crystal clear water and never crowded.  Both of my trips were during the summer and over a weekend and we seldom came across others.  It was if we had the whole park to ourselves.  I'm going back again this summer.  My boys are excited to rent the kayaks again.  This is a great experience for couples and families.

Favorite campground I've ever visited. Would give it a bonus star if I could. 

We were there over July 4th, 2019. My in-laws got a cabin and we were in a tent site by the lake down in the shade. But most of the sites were in shade. Little to no cell signal (AT&T), but good WIFI. 

They had activities every day for the kids. As well as lots of unstructured activities. For example, they had a foosball table and a jumping pad. But they also had a "color a sack" thing where the kids got a KOA canvas tote and access to fabric markers. They had a "trick or treat"/"scavenger hunt" for the kids, which was basically they all had flashlights and had to find the candy in the grassy field. They had a water fight where the kids went on a wagon ride and squirted the people in campsites with water and the adults at the camp sites used their hoses to fire back. This place is a blast for kids and my wife who has been camping 20+ years said this is the best place she's ever been. 

Best bathhouse I've encountered with something like 7 unisex bathrooms each with their own shower. Respectable campstore. And they were so friendly and hospitable. If it weren't like 10 hours away, I'd go there frequently. Bit in the middle of nowhere, but great camping if you want to visit the natural bridge.

Quiet, beautiful and Dog Friendly! There are beautiful trails for hiking and a ton of fishing spots! It had been over 25 years since my last trip and it hasn’t lost it’s charm one bit. It’s the perfect relaxing getaway! Phone service is in and out but we didn’t mind, it was nice to escape the world for a while.

Tent sites are shady, although some can be VERY close to one another. There’s a nice beach area and the park seems to offer boat rentals (unsure of COVID policies at the moment, though). 🛶

The playgrounds and amenities for kids are cute, and the bathrooms are clean. The park sells wood and has a little mini outdoor library and charging station which is adorable and something I don’t see often 💜

We so enjoyed camping here. The swimming area is so amazing. Great area for the kids to enjoy a safe and fun swimming experience. 

They have boat rentals and a fishing pier. The camp sites are of nice size and are mostly well shaded. They have a large playground for the kids and the roads are good for bike riding . We hiked some of the trails, there is beautiful nature thT surrounds you. Close to the High Bridge and different Daily excursions.

This was our first visit to this campground and it was farther than we usually travel for a long weekend but we’ll worth it. It’s small with about 40 RV sites in addition to tent sites (4) and cabins (8). The camp hosts were very nice. Fire wood is delivered when you purchase it. Trash is picked up from your site. The layout is weird but most sites are pull through. We were in B24 with friends and family staying in B25 and B26. These were back in sites and very spacious. While not necessarily secluded, they felt more private. The bath house was central to the sites and were unisex individual bathrooms. Not modern but clean. The ere is a pool and an area near the office with lots of childrens activities; playground, shuffleboard, basketball, gem mine, horseshoes, jump pad, and a fishing lake with large fish. The pool is near the offices as well. The office has a small store area with some souvenirs and necessities. There is a large dog park. Get dessert at Woodruffs just down the road, check out Natty Bs for lunch and some general store items and fresh baked goods on the way to Natural Bridge which is dog friendly! Dogs allowed in visitor center and the Natural Bridge itself. There’s a new brewery just across the street. Lynchburg is about 25 min drive and has a Community Market that is part farm market and part local crafts market. Free parking in that area on weekends. Drive the Blue Ridge Parkway north for some awesome overlooks as you climb the mountain and approach rt 60. Skip JJs Meat Shack in Buena Vista if you go through there.

Was a pretty nice lake to visit once, but I never felt like I was out in the wilderness with the large freeways so close. Still, there were pretty coves to explore on the HUGE lake, and the campsites were very green and scenic - if a bit too close together. I liked hiking the trails, some of which had interesting historical markers. Renting a kayak took a lot longer than I'd expected, just because the rental office seemed understaffed to me. Would have loved this park if it were just a bit more off the beaten path, so to speak.

It's a campground if you arent looking for big views or to get away from it all, it's a bit noisy. The bathrooms were not very tidy and at any point seemed like there was debris or water laying around every time I went in. The picnic area is basically bare earth with little attention paid to basic things like erosion, with gullies running all over. The staff seemed flustered whenever I asked a question (when are programs, is there a list?) and seemed to spend a lot of time doing...nothing. The programs themselves were a little limited and the rangers we saw seemed distracted and didnt seem that kid oriented, which I thought was strange.

We truly enjoyed our stay at Smith Mountain Lake State Park.

The rangers were helpful and friendly. They checked us in, provided an overview of the park and directions/instructions to/for everything.

The campsites were cozy and far enough apart that neighboring sites didn't intrude on our quiet.

The bath house/toilets were clean and well stocked. The showers were individual rooms with locking doors, a changing area, and the shower. They were very clean.

The lake was quite beautiful. There is a beach area with concession stand (that was open even with the COVID Kerfluffle). Paddle boat and canoe rental was also available. There is a boat ramp if you bring your own boat.

The trails were nice and mostly well marked. Our only quibble was a few places where you weren't sure if you were on the path or a game trail. 

We will definitely be returning.

My gkids and I stayed here one night because they wanted to earn a winter camping badge and it was so worth it! We were there on a beautiful chilly clear night and the sky and stars were amazing! If you love stargazing this is the park for you. It is an International Dark Sky Park. There is a large open field by the park check in and store. The park offers rentals of telescopes too. They also have a nature learning lab, some cool animals, and a fantastic gift shop. This was our first time here and we are definitely going back. Since we only stayed one night we didn't get to explore the park much but it looks fantastic and we can't wait to go back some time this summer. The gkids brought their bikes and loved riding around the park. It was rather empty since it was still technically winter. The showers were hot and the bathrooms were clean. The rangers were nice and helpful. I can't wait to see this park in the summer in all of its lush and leafy splendor.

Campground Review

The staff at this campground really went above and beyond to make sure I had all the correct information needed for my stay. They truly run like a well-oiled machine. They are the reason for the 3-stars. This was actually my second time at the park, but I didn't remember that until after I'd arrived and things started looking familiar. I should have known something was up if I didn't remember being here.

The campground itself is not my style. The sites were packed in close together and most of the tent only sites were tiny! There's even one site that wraps around a second site. After picking out my (first) site, I parked my car, looked around, and realized that there wouldn't be room for my both my tent and my friend's tent. I moved to the next site, put up my tent, and started looking for a place for my hammock. We're in the woods, it shouldn't be that hard. There were zero trees behind the second site. So, I moved again. Third time is a charm, right? We were able to get both tents up and found a place for both hammocks in between our site and the next. To give an idea of how close some of the sites are, the wood barrier around my site was only two feet away from the next site's barrier. I go camping to get away, not hang out with the neighbors.

The regulator on my lucky stove broke, so we cooked everything over a campfire. State Parks don't allow you to bring outside firewood (it's a good rule of thumb), so we bought their wood. All they had was huge pieces of fresh pine. I didn't bring a hatchet since I shouldn't need one for car camping. Luckily I had my Leatherman. More on that later.

The swimming lake is a good size. There is a concession stand, a beach with lifeguard, and a rental station for paddle boats. There were people in the water all weekend enjoying the awesome weather.

The lake trail passes right through the beach, then into the woods. The trail goes from sidewalk, to gravel, to jagged stones, to dirt, then blacktop. The last part of the trail is actually on an unmarked two-lane road over the spillway. All-in-all not the relaxing hike I had hoped for.

My take on this park is that it is best for families who love the water and want to go swimming every day. It does not have good hiking trails, or good camping - not the kind I'm looking for anyway.

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time - today I am testing the Leatherman Charge ALX. First, let me say this thing is AWESOME! I used it numerous times this weekend. It's fair to say that everything that could go wrong did go wrong. The regulator on my propane stove started acting wonky. I would be in the middle of cooking and the flame would go out. The only way to light it is to lift the grate in order to get the firestarter close to the burner. The cast iron grate was already scalding, so I used my Leatherman needle-nose pliers to lift it up. Voila! After relighting the grill the fourth time, we gave up on it and decided to build a fire.

The pine logs were HUGE! Plus, there was very little kindling in the campground to use as a firestarter. We found some large branches and used the handy saw on my Leather Charge ALX to cut them up into fire-sized pieces. The sawing took way less time than I would expect for a hand-sized tool! Then, I used the straight-blade knife to shave off some bark for a little fire-starter. This blade is sharp! We had a fire going in no time.

I used the knife to cut paracord for hanging my hammock, slicing my ribeye, and even used the diamond file to fix a broken nail. Hey, a girl's gotta have good nails even in the woods.

Now that I'm back home, I reach for the Leatherman any time something needs fixing. I don't have to lug a tool box around the house and yard to fix things. Everything I need is all in one amazing pocket-sized tool. This thing is the best!

Spent 4 nights here (during a heat wave, no less) and really enjoyed it. Campsites are large and not right on top of each other, and especially if you can book one of the campsites that are on the water, they really do have beautiful views (see pictures).

Pros: 

Kid-friendly. We spent an afternoon at the splash pad, which is a great way to cool off in the summer and free once you're in the park. I never felt unsafe with my kids running around up to the bath-house or the loop, felt very secluded and safe.

Lake is scenic, we saw fireflies at dusk, it was a great setting for a camping trip.

Everything seems pretty well-maintained. Bathrooms are aging but were cleaned at least once a day, it was fine. There is firewood at every bathhouse you can take on the honor system and pay for via cashbox, which is nice. Campsites are clean and well-maintained.

Lots of lake recreation options (boat rental, fishing, etc.) in or near the park. 

Cons:

Maybe it was just our campsite, which backed up to a large wooded area, but they were the most aggressive squirrels I've ever come across. If we went to the bathroom for five minutes and left food on the table, the squirrels would be there eating it when we came back. And would hover at the edge of the campsite or get into the car if the hatchback was open.

Camp store is....fine, pretty minimal in terms of provisions. But not a big deal because Clarksville is five minutes or so away and has plenty of stores.

Tents pads are all gravel. Didn't bother us but definitely would not want to tent camp here if you didn't have a good high-quality sleeping pad.

The biggest con was that there is no swimming area/beach in the park. You can try to wade in from the campsite but that generally requires scaling up/down some fairly treacherous rocks, and navigating driftwood and rocks in the water. We drove a few minutes away outside the park to find one, but would be really nice to have some kind of little swimming area inside the park, very strange to me they don't have one.

But all in all a lovely place for a camping trip, we all had a great time.

Nice campground in line with expectations for most Virginia state parks. Verizon service is spotty 1 to 2 bars and unreliable data but with a directional cell booster we are able to get enough signal for our Verizon Jetpack to work

We stopped here overnight on a trip from Chicago to Virginia Beach. We had reserved a pull through but were just short in length and had to disconnect the tow vehicle for the night. They had longer sites so if this is important I would discuss when making reservation.  Site size was decent and definitely not on top of our neighbors giving us some space to enjoy. Campsite hosts were very friendly and recommended a swimming hole just a few miles down the road on the Blue Ridge Parkway that locals go swimming. Some nice amenities for the kids included jumping pad, nice park, pool and a few table games. Campground was quiet at night and we enjoyed a nice fire that evening. We found some time to drive the parkway. We did not think we would be able to squeeze it into the visit but it’s hard to pass up and they are literally right next to it. We did not get a chance to check showers or bathhouse as we had full hook ups and showered in our trailer. I would definitely recommend this campground and would stay again

We camped here again at Staunton River State Park, this time we stayed in site 21, which is an electric site near the bathrooms/showers and one of the best for viewing stars. There is little tree cover and a sort of field behind the campsite where you can set up your telescope and see the stars really well. We were also able to rent one of the telescopes they have at the Visitors center (for free!) and use it throughout the stay.

We came the weekend after the fourth of July which was hot but surprisingly not too crowded. We participated in some of the parks' programs this time around and it made it such a great experience, especially for the kids. They had smores around the fire on a Friday night, where they handed out smores ingredients around a big campfire near the visitors center and you could chat with other campers. It was so nice! Then they had a outdoor movie afterwards. The next day we went to a "feed the animals" program, where the kids got to meet and help feed all the animals in the visitors center and learn more about them. There were turtles, snakes, fish! The kids loved it! We did the Junior Ranger hike and the kids all got badges. Hopefully the pool will be open next summer because it was so hot and that would have been awesome! But there is another Virginia State Park nearby, Occoneechee, that has a splash pad that we went to. Such a fun time!